Published: Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 08:17 PM.

HURLBURT FIELD — In a field dominated by men, three women have found an unexpected love for their work as plumbers in the Air Force.

“Not a lot of women can do this job,” said Senior Airman Olivia Beavers, 24, who has been working in utilities at Hurlburt Field for more than three years. “It makes me feel good about myself that I can.”

The women work with the 1st Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron. Out of the 1,600 airmen working in civil engineering in the Air Force, only 98 are women, according to public affairs.

The women keep busy maintaining plumbing, sewage and fuel systems for the entire base. They often visit 10 to 15 buildings a day, doing everything from replacing leaky faucets to restoring running water.

“That’s a lot of people we take care of on the base,” said Staff Sgt. Victoria DeMette, 29, who has been in the field for more than six years. “Some people think it’s not as rewarding as working on airplanes, but it’s a big deal.”

She and the other women did not intend to specialize in plumbing, and were a little hesitant when they found out they had been assigned the job.

Before she joined the Air Force, Beavers had never used a tool, much less a large power tool. DeMette said she could hardly plunge her own toilet.

Airman 1st Class Molly Long, 21, was a hairdresser before she joined the Air Force two years ago. Now she is the one her friends call when their garbage disposal breaks. She also recently installed her own washing machine.

DeMette redid both of the bathrooms in her mother’s home, installing new sinks, toilets, showers and countertops.

All three said they are happy with the challenges of the job and the trade they have learned.

On Tuesday, the women began installing an eye wash and shower station in an industrial building for the 505th Command and Control Wing. They anchored the piping they had assembled the day before and then began digging a deep trench to tap into the main water line.

They likely would be digging for four to five hours, DeMette said.

Long said she has found that one of her favorite jobs is fixing a busted water main — a big, complicated project that allows her to climb into holes and get soaked and dirty.

“I love this work because I’m not at a desk and I get to be outside and get dirty,” the former hairdresser said. “I like it when I get to go home and have dirtier hands than my husband.”

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HURLBURT FIELD — In a field dominated by men, three women have found an unexpected love for their work as plumbers in the Air Force.

“Not a lot of women can do this job,” said Senior Airman Olivia Beavers, 24, who has been working in utilities at Hurlburt Field for more than three years. “It makes me feel good about myself that I can.”

The women work with the 1st Special Operations Civil Engineering Squadron. Out of the 1,600 airmen working in civil engineering in the Air Force, only 98 are women, according to public affairs.

The women keep busy maintaining plumbing, sewage and fuel systems for the entire base. They often visit 10 to 15 buildings a day, doing everything from replacing leaky faucets to restoring running water.

“That’s a lot of people we take care of on the base,” said Staff Sgt. Victoria DeMette, 29, who has been in the field for more than six years. “Some people think it’s not as rewarding as working on airplanes, but it’s a big deal.”

She and the other women did not intend to specialize in plumbing, and were a little hesitant when they found out they had been assigned the job.

Before she joined the Air Force, Beavers had never used a tool, much less a large power tool. DeMette said she could hardly plunge her own toilet.

Airman 1st Class Molly Long, 21, was a hairdresser before she joined the Air Force two years ago. Now she is the one her friends call when their garbage disposal breaks. She also recently installed her own washing machine.

DeMette redid both of the bathrooms in her mother’s home, installing new sinks, toilets, showers and countertops.

All three said they are happy with the challenges of the job and the trade they have learned.

On Tuesday, the women began installing an eye wash and shower station in an industrial building for the 505th Command and Control Wing. They anchored the piping they had assembled the day before and then began digging a deep trench to tap into the main water line.

They likely would be digging for four to five hours, DeMette said.

Long said she has found that one of her favorite jobs is fixing a busted water main — a big, complicated project that allows her to climb into holes and get soaked and dirty.

“I love this work because I’m not at a desk and I get to be outside and get dirty,” the former hairdresser said. “I like it when I get to go home and have dirtier hands than my husband.”